ISO Project communication tools

smiltenb — Wed, 24 Jan 2007 21:01:29 -0600

For the past two weeks I've been trying to identify and assess web based applications that would meet several needs within the broad umbrella of project communication/management:

provide a quick overview of what's happening on a given project
have a component that could be used for documentation
be multi-layered (a public component available without login; a private component for authenticated users only)
provide distribution components (RSS...)
standards based
has a simple and easy-to-use interface
hosted externally or internally
provide multiple views of content (via tagging, grouping...)

I've been surprised at how hard it has been to find an application that meets many of these needs.

I've been playing with SharePoint for a few months but feel that the learning curve to make it an effective and organic tool is significant. Basecamp is a bit too simple. I entertained the idea (suggested by our brilliant Director of Administrative Systems, Ted Simpson) of using Educause Connect (but it lacks the overview and cohesive functions we're looking for).
A straight-up wiki application might be the closest thing I've found; yet something is missing (perhaps the calendar/overview features). I have the feeling that the solution is much simpler and more obvious than is apparent to me.

This is a request for your ideas and suggestions about good solutions for web based project tools.

EDUCAUSE | EDUCAUSE CONNECT

ISO Project communication tools